


The Hack

by hermitpanda



Series: Coffee & Pie [11]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 03:45:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8781670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hermitpanda/pseuds/hermitpanda
Summary: Rossi sank down in her visitor’s chair. “I knew that he was dating someone and that that someone was a man, but I did not know that that’s who he was dating.”“Why wouldn’t they tell us?” Garcia pouted.“A lot of reasons. Eyes and ears everywhere at work. Team dynamics. They’re both private people. I don’t blame them.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> Still haven't gotten anything accomplished on crocheting my mom's slippers, but I've got four stories written waiting to be posted. So I guess I'm still being productive? Here we are, the remainder of the team is finding out. Enjoy :D  
> ~* HermitPanda *~
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own the show or the characters. Just borrowing them.

Rossi tapped his knuckles on Garcia’s open door. “Do you have time to run some reports for me?” he asked.

 

The woman meeped and whirled in her chair to face the door. “Oh, uh, sure. What do you need?”

 

He eyed her and passed her a file folder, explaining what he needed. “Are you okay?”

 

She shook her head, wide-eyed. “I did a thing. A thing that will get me in trouble. So, so much trouble.”

 

“Are you sure? What did you do?” He stepped into the office and closed the door.

 

“I was worried about our Boy Wonder. He hasn’t come in for two days now and when I asked Hotch, he said not to worry about it, that Spencer was just taking some time off. So I did something. Reid’s going to be so pissed. And Hotch, oh God, he’s going to kill me. He’ll just pull out his gun and shoot me on the spot. I deserve it, too,” she whispered frantically.

 

“Calm down, Garcia. It might not be that bad. What did you do?” He frowned.

 

Garcia took a deep inhale and released it slowly. “I hacked Spencer’s phone.”

 

“You’ve hacked team members’ phones before. What makes this time so different?”

 

“Him and Hotch, they’ve been hiding something from us.” She turned back to her monitors and pointed at one. “This is what prompted Reid calling in yesterday.”

 

Rossi leaned over her shoulder to read the screen of text messages.

 

**Hotch: Just a heads up won't be @ work today**

 

**Reid: Why? Are you sick?**

 

**Hotch: Jack is. Woke with fever. Prob ear infection**

 

**Reid: Have you called in yet?**

 

**Hotch: No, why?**

 

**Reid: I have more PTO than you. I can stay with him**

 

**Hotch: Taking him to dr. It’s okay**

 

**Reid: I can take him. Unless you don’t trust me**

 

**Hotch: Of course, I trust you. But I’m not sure why you would want to stay with him?**

 

**Reid: Because I like your son and I’m trying to be nice.**

 

**Reid: I do have more PTO left than you do also.**

 

**Reid: If you use too much now, Strauss won’t let you have time off at Christmas like you want**

 

**Hotch: I feel like you just like making me look like the slacker boyfriend.**

 

**Reid: It’s a law of the universe that there is always a cool one and a not so cool one in the relationship.**

 

**Hotch: Are you saying that I’m the not so cool one?**

 

**Reid: Look at that, we got off topic. You want me to come stay with Jack today?**

 

**Hotch: If you’re absolutely sure that you want to take a whiny 5 year old to the dr and hang out with him all day, then be my guest**

 

**Reid: Be there in a half hour**

 

**Hotch: When you get here we’re discussing which of us is the cool boyfriend and which is the not so cool boyfriend**

 

**Reid: We can discuss it but I am definitely the cool one**

 

**Hotch: All lies**

 

“Wow.” Rossi blinked.

 

“I know,” Garcia said.

 

Rossi sank down in her visitor’s chair. “I knew that he was dating someone and that that someone was a man, but I did not know that that’s who he was dating.”

 

“Why wouldn’t they tell us?” Garcia pouted.

 

“A lot of reasons. Eyes and ears everywhere at work. Team dynamics. They’re both private people. I don’t blame them.” 

 

“But we’re family. Or we’re supposed to be,” she said.

 

He patted her shoulder. “We are a family, and I’m sure there are reasons that they chose to keep it from us.”

 

“What do I do now?” She looked at him.

 

“Now, you have to admit to Hotch what you’ve done and take your lumps. Come on, I’ll go with you.” Rossi opened the door just as Hotch was about to knock. “Or we can stay here. Garcia and I were just coming to talk to you.”

 

Hotch looked at him strangely. “About what?”

 

“Sir, I’m very sorry for what I did. I did it out of concern. I hacked Spencer’s phone. I, uh, know.” She diverted her eyes from her boss’s. “About your relationship.”

 

The Unit Chief stared at her for a heartbeat. “Get everything from Spencer’s phone off that computer. Now.” Hotch stepped into the office with Rossi and Garcia. He shut the door with enough force to cause her to flinch at the slam. “Gone? Completely?” He asked when she finally pulled her hands away from the keyboard.

 

She nodded. “Completely. I’m sorry sir. I understand if you need to punish me.”

 

“I will let Reid decide that since you hacked his phone, not mine.” He clenched his jaw and counted to five. He knew Garcia hadn’t intruded on their privacy just for fun. She had done it out of concern, and he probably hadn’t helped eased her concern when he’d brushed off her questions about why Spencer wasn’t in the office. “This is the only time that I will discuss this within this building. I expect you to respect that. Understood?”

 

“Understood,” Garcia whispered, and Rossi nodded. 

 

“Spencer and I have been together since the middle of July. We keep it away from work completely. Because we don’t want it to interfere with the team. Because of Strauss and the no fraternization. We haven’t told the team outright because the opportunity hasn’t really presented itself. Although, the others know,” Hotch explained.

 

“They know?” Garcia gaped at him

 

“Morgan knows for sure. He saw us out with Jack and confronted us a few days later. Prentiss and JJ almost definitely know. I’m fairly certain they overheard a conversation but I refuse to blatantly ask them how much they heard.”

 

Rossi watched him. “Jack’s okay with this?”

 

Hotch nodded with a smile. “They adore each other. Jack could have gone to school today but he wanted to stay with Spencer again. Spencer’s planning Jack’s birthday party.” 

 

Garcia raised her brows. “You let Jack stay home from school even though he’s technically not sick anymore?” 

 

“He’ll learn more in one day with Spencer than he would have all week at school.” The man shrugged.

 

“So this is serious?” Rossi asked.

 

“Yes,” he nodded. “While you’re here Dave, Spencer wants to have the party at your house so he can rent a bouncy castle. Would that be okay?”

 

“Sure,” Rossi nodded.

  
“Thank you. Garcia, I’ll let you know how mad Spencer gets after I’ve spoken with him.” 

 

She nodded. “Yes, sir. Please pass on how sorry I am.” 

 

“Will do.” He left, followed quickly by Rossi. A few hours later, everyone except Hotch and Garcia had left the office for the day. She was packing away her traveling laptop when the unit chief appeared in her door. “Good, you’re leaving as well. I’ll walk you out,” he said.

 

“Oh, uh, yes sir. I just need a minute.” She nodded. She swallowed nervously and tried to find reasons to slow her packing. Whatever he wanted to say, he didn’t want to say it inside.

 

Hotch’s phone signaled an incoming text message, and he glanced at it. “There’s a starving five-year-old waiting for me in the parking lot, Garcia. He’s threatening to run away from home if I don’t get down there soon.”

 

“Oh! Sorry, sir.” She zipped her case quickly and followed him to the elevator. They remained silent until they got to the parking garage. He just pointed at the man leaning on his car with a small child in his arms. She followed him. “Spencer! I’m so, so, so sorry!”

 

Spencer shrugged and passed Jack to Aaron, kissing the older man quickly in the process. “Stay out of my phone unless I specifically give you the okay or you genuinely believe that my life’s in danger.”

 

She looked at them for a moment. “You two are being way calmer than I expected about this.”

 

“The worst part is that you did it on your computer at work. The text messages you read are about the standard. We don’t put anything in writing, even in a text that we wouldn’t be okay with people seeing. Even our pictures are tame. We’ve taken a few selfies, but those are mostly on my phone.” Aaron opened the car door for Jack to get in.

 

“You saved us from another debate about how to tell you. I’m mad for now, but I know why you did it. I’ll forgive you in a few days.” Spencer smiled and moved towards the passenger side when he heard the buckles on Jack’s seat click. “Have a good night Penelope. See you tomorrow.”

 

“Night.” She smiled and walked to her own car.


End file.
